Hello and welcome to the 2004-2005 Cobb County School District Annual Report. I was proud to serve as chairman of the Board of Education during the past 12 months, a year that was both rewarding and demanding.

 I’m proud to see that Cobb students continue to outperform their peers at the national level, with SAT scores at an all-time high, CRCT scores up and performance on writing assessments continuing to improve.  The number of schools on the ‘needs improvement’ list for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) has been reduced from 11 to 2, and we are steadfastly aiming at having all of our schools in compliance.  I’m also thrilled with the AP Certified Schools program and the involvement of the GE Foundation, which will help make advanced courses accessible to more of our students.  New schools are opening, older schools are being improved, and Cobb remains among metro Atlanta’s top school districts.

It is also important I be forthright about the hurdles that the Cobb County School District has encountered and is working to overcome.  Disaggregated student performance data shows that AYP is not being made in small subgroups, which resulted in some of our schools and the District as a whole making the No Child Left Behind ‘needs improvement’ list.  The annual report contains our action plan for improving our status. 

In 2004-2005, the District also faced a significant challenge in its efforts to implement a technology program that would have provided laptop computers to all teachers and some students. Resistance to the plan, called Power To Learn, ultimately led to the demise of the program. Fallout from these events will resonate for some time and may impact the Board’s future ability to spend SPLOST funds effectively and efficiently. Meanwhile, the District is moving forward by surveying teachers and crafting a new strategy for using technology as a powerful and valuable learning tool.

I’m glad to have new Superintendent Fred Sanderson rejoin the District.  He and his staff are already studying new ways to make the best use of SPLOST funds in creating more interactive learning environments.

On another positive note, this community is nothing short of amazing in its support of the District.  PTAs are providing organization and support at the local level, and public feedback at our public forums and in our focus groups has been integral to the decision-making process. As we welcomed 1,300 new students and their families who evacuated from Hurricane Katrina, Cobb opened its arms, giving over $75,000 in donations through our schools to victims locally and in the affected areas.

After you take a look over the year that was, I encourage you to sign up for the District’s e-mail lists, one of several tools that we as a Board are using to communicate with you as your public servants. I hope to see our next annual report continue to show our progress as a district, as we work to provide the best education for Cobb’s children.

Kathleen Johnstone
2004-2005 Chairman, Cobb County Board of Education
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